Shoe support for sole edge trimming machine



Feb. 1 1, 1969 H. c. CLARK 3,42 ,3

SHOE SUPPORT FOR SOLE EDGE TRIMMING MACHINE Filed Jan. 12, 1967 Sheet of 5 F515. 11, 1969 H. c. CLARK 3,426,376

SHOE SUPPORT FOR SOLE EDGE TRIMMING MACHINE Filed Jan. 12. 1967 Sheet g ofs SHOE SUPPORT FOR SOLE EDGE TRIMMING MACHINE Filed Jan. 12, 1967 H C. CLARK Feb. 11, 1969 Sheet 3 OH R g Q mm a 3 F I Feb. 11, 1969 H. c. CLARK 3,426,376 v SHOE SUPPORT FOR SOLE EDGE TRIMMING MACHINE Filed Jan. 12, 1967 Sheet 4 of 5 SHOE SUPPORT FOR SOLE EDGE TRIMMING MACHINE Filed Jan. 12. 1967 H. C. CLARK Feb. 11, 1969 Sheet WMM 3 7 O 5 5 5/ 5 4 4 4 4 0 9 8 5 3 5 6 6 5 fl 5 w II I -ll-l llllLll I h w l F llllllll ILL 4 W \IL U I 2 6 U DU r. 5 5 r I w 6 [I] 3 1 6 h ll. i

United States Patent Office 3,426,376 Patented Feb. 11, 1969 2,176/66 US. 01. 12--86.7 14 Claims Int. Cl. A43d 27/00, 25/10 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A shoe supporting device for supporting a shoe while trimming the sole edge. The supporting device is particularly adapted for trimming a shoe having an upwardly inclined toe end portion. The device has a shoe last support member mounted for rotation about a first axis, and a last is rockably mounted on the support member. Means are coupled to the last for rocking the last about a second axis which extends at right angles to the lengthwise dimension of the shoe and to the first axis. The last can be rocked into a first position in which the general plane of the bottom of the shoe is normal to said first axis, and into a second position in which the plane of the toe end portion of the sole is normal to said first axis.

This invention relates to the manufacture of footwear and is particularly concerned with the operation of trimming the side edge of the sole of an article of footwear, hereinafter referred to as a shoe. The term sole" used herein includes a combined sole-and-heel unit and a soleand-heel assembly.

It is customary practice to trim the side edge of a shoe sole in a plane substantially perpendicular to the top face of the welt. Throughout the greater part of the perimeter of the sole, viewed as resting on a horizontal surface, the sole edge is thus substantially vertical, but on account of toe spring (which tilts the forepart of the sole slightly upwards) the sole edge, especially at the round of the toe, is not vertical but is inclined slightly backwards. For appearance sake it is desirable to preserve this slight backward slope at the toe end of the sole edge. Hitherto sole edge trimming has been effected by an operator manually presenting the sole edge to a rotating cutter, an operation which has called for the exercise of appreciable skill on the part of the operator.

According to the present invention there is provided a shoe supporting device for use in trimming the sole edge of a shoe having an upwardly inclined toe end portion which device comprises a last for the shoe supported for rotation about a first axis, means for rotating the last about said first axis in a first position in which the general plane of the bottom of the shoe is normal to said first axis and in a second position in which the plane of the toe end portion of the sole is normal to said first axis, and means for rocking the last between said first and second position about a second axis which extends at right angles or substantially at right angles to the lengthwise dimension of the shoe and to the first axis.

The invention also provides the combination with a device as set forth in the preceding paragraph of an arm carrying the device and itself carried for swivelling movement about an axis parallel to the first axis.

The invention further provides the combination with a device as set forth in the last but one preceding paragraph of a trimming tool for trimming the sole edge.

The rocking means may be adapted to rock the last progressively into and out of said second position as the last rotates about the first axis.

According to a preferred feature of the invention the rocking means includes cam and follower means adapted to bring the last into said second position once in each revolution of the last about the first axis.

The sole trimming machine according to this invention is especially suitable for operating on a shoe having a comparatively wide welt, such as a shoe of veldtschoen type and, by way of example, a machine adapted for triming around the entire perimeter of a sandal sole, and at the same time trimming the side edge of the welt, will be described later.

It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to such entire perimeter trimming, but may be adapted for operation over a restricted area; for instance, on a shoe using a preformed sole unit only the toe and heel portions thereof may require trimming, in which case the cutting operation could be rendered ineffective over the waist of the shoe.

If it is desired to provide a heel having at least its rear part pitched forwards or backwardsthat is, not perpendicular to general plane of the shoe and to the local part of the top of the welt, the cam and follower means are .adatped to cause also either a downward or an upward tilting of the last, according to the required heel pitch, during each revolution of the shoe about the first axis.

One embodiment of the invention in the form of a sandal sole trimming machine will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side perspective view of a sandal wtih 'untrimmed sole and welt mounted on a last;

FIGURE 2 is a side perspective view of the principal parts of the sole trimming machine with a last and sandal in position prior to a sole trimming operation;

FIGURE 3 is a side perspective View of the machine showing the last and sandal swung round in readiness to perform sole edge trimming by a trimming device at the toe end of the sandal;

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3, but from a slightly different viewpoint, showing the sandal positioned for performance of heel trimming, and

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged part-sectional perspective view of the trimming device.

A sandal 1, with an untrimmed sole 2 and welt 3, is placed on a conventional last 4 and a peg 5 depending from intermediately of the length of a rocking bar 6 is dropped into the existing socket 7 of the socket plate 8 of the last. The peg 5 is offset from the centre of the bar 6. The bar 6 carries on the extremity of its longer arm a pad 9 for pressing on the toe cap of the sandal 1. Between the pad 9 and the peg S the bar 6 has a notch 10, and on the extremity' of the shorter arm of the bar 6 is an upstanding guide and drive pin 11.

The last "assembly 12, comprising the sandal 1, last 4 and rocking bar 6, shown in FIGURE 1, is placed on a platform 13 which is rockably supported on a narrow elevatable table 14 on a transverse fulcrum which is conventiently in the form of a horizontally disposed roller 15. A pin and slot connection 113 prevents rotation of platform 13 relatively to the table 14 (see especially FIG- URE 3).

The last assembly 12 is disposed with the notch 10 in bar 6 aligned with a clamp leg 16 depending from a slider 17. Slider 17 has at its two end pins 18, 19 which project upward through guide slots 21 in a rotary bar 20 and form axle pins on which two follower rollers 41, 42 disposed above rotary bar 20 are respectively secured. The rotary bar 20 is secured to the underside of a narrow cross head 23, which is carried by a vertical rotary spindle 24 so as to rotate therewith. The slots 26 thus form a guideway along which pins 18, 19 and slider 17 can move diametrically with respect to rotary bar and spindle 24. A series of transversely-extending bearing rollers are disposed between slider 17 and rotary bar 20 to facilitate this relative movement, the ends of the rollers being carried in a cage formed by two side strips 17a.

The guide pin 11 on rocking bar 6 engages within the open end of one of the slots 21, movement of guide pin 11 towards the opposite end of the slot being limited b an adjustable stop 22. The guide pin 11 assists in stabilising the last and sandal in that it prevents them from being dis placed from platform 13 by the action of the cutter, particularly when trimming round the heel end of the sole. Rotary spindle 24 thus imparts a rotary motion to the last assembly 12 through guide pin 11 and to the last assembly support means 26 comprising the tiltable platform 13 and the table 14. The table 14 is freely rotatably mounted on an axle 27 journalled in a bearing block 28 carried on a swingable frame 29 (see FIGURE 2). The axle 27 around which the table 14 freely rotates is aligned with the axis of rotation of the last drive assembly and this axis constitutes the first axis above referred to. The drive spindle 24 is driven from a drive shaft 30 through a conventional chain-and-sprocket drive 31, said shaft 30 being rotated by an electric motor and gear box (not shown) through a drive pulley 32 and bevel gears 33. Axle 27 can be raised from a lowered position (in which a sandal can be removed from or positioned on the last) by suitable means, such as an air cylinder unit (not shown) or other manual or power operated device to hold up the last assembly 12, with the notch 10 in the rocking bar 6 engaged with the clamp leg 16 of the last drive means 25; this elevating movement may be shared by the swingable frame 29.

The last drive assembly 25 is supported on a cantilever arm 34 extending from an upstanding bracket 35 on which the motor and necessary gearing are mounted, said bracket 35 forming an extension of the swinging frame 29. This frame 29 is adapted for swinging about a vertical spindle 36 carried by a fixed side frame 37. The cantilever arm 34 is provided with a hand lever 38 by means of which the swingable frame 29, the last drive assembly 25, the last assembly 12 and the support means 26 may be bodily urged manually toward a trimming device 39 which in FIGURE 2 is obscured by the last assembly 12 but is shown in FIGURES 3 and 4; alternatively the movable parts referred to may be biased toward the trimming device 39 by a weight or other yieldable force applying means connected to an arm 40 extending from the swingable frame 29 (FIG. 2).

Follower rollers 41, 42 on the pins 18, 19 respectively co-operate with upper and lower plate earns 43, 44 which are fixed relatively to the bars 17, 20 by being suspended from the cantilever arm 34 and which extend about the axis defined by spindle 24. From a comparison of FIG- URES 3 and 4 it will be seen that during rotation of the last drive means 25 (and with it, the last assembly 12 clamped thereto) the follower rollers 41, 42 engage their respective plate cams 43, 44, so that through said rollers and their pins the slidable bar 17 is displaced endwise in relation to the fixed bar 20. Over the arc of travel when plate cam 43 is required to move the bar 17 through the corresponding roller 41 the other plate cam 44 is cut 'back (edges 43A, 44A respectively) so as not to interfere with this movement.

In the embodiment illustrated the two plate cams 43, 44 are shown as radially slotted to embrace the spindle 24, but it will be evident that this is not essential, although it facilitates cam changing. It will also be understood that other displacement means could be employed, such as a single box cam co-operating with a single follower roller arranged to effect the required endwise displacement of bar 17 and to position the bar positively.

As the slidable bar 17 of the last drive assembly 25 is displaced endwise the offset position of clamp leg 16 on rocking bar 6 relatively to the shoe rotation axis (that is, the axis of the coaxial spindle 24 and axle 27) will vary,

with the result that the last assembly 12 is caused to rock bodily about the transverse fulcrum roller 15. Provision may be made to allow of yieldable axial displacement between the last assembly 12 and the last drive means 25, with means biasing these together to allow for limited relative axial movement on account of this tilting or rocking of the last assembly 12 as the offset of clamp leg 16 changes during rotation of said assembly. For example a helical spring seated against a part of the swinging frame 29 may surround axle 27 and urge table 14 resiliently upwards into a limiting position.

The effect of the rocking of the last assembly 12, as it rotates, is to rotate the sandal to position the toe end of the sole of the sandal 1 in a horizontal plane, i.e. normal to the common axis of spindle 24 and axle 27, during the whole of the period during which trimming of the toe end of the sole 2 (and the overlying welt 3) is to be effected, and to lower the heel end of the sandal 1 into a horizontal position when trimming of the upwardly inclined toe end position has been completed and the heel end of the sole is to be trimmed.

In the illustrated construction the top face of the sandal welt 3 is conveniently employed to control axial displacement of a trimming device 39. The trimming tool employed in the preferred assembly 39 comprises a shell 45 with relieved flutes providing a series of lengthwise-extending cutting edges, said shell being clamped between the flange 46 of a drive adaptor 47 (FIGURE 5), and a top shield 48 which is held in a clamping position by a nut 49 screwed on to a threaded shank 50 forming an extension of the hub or core of the adaptor 47. A skirt 51 depends from the adaptor flange 46 and is provided with axially-extending slots 52 diametrically opposite each other which are engaged by driving dogs 53 formed on a peg 54 on a collar 55 secured to a motordriven shaft 56. Above the shield 48 is mounted a conical cap 57 which rests on a bearing ball 58 supported on the adaptor shank 50 and is held down by a plunger 59 vertically slidable in the boss 60 of a fixed arm 61 extending from a vertically adjustable mounting-block 62. The plunger 59 is subjected to yieldable axial pressure through a pivoted lever 63 against which the lower end of a compression spring 64 acts. The rim of cap 57 is adapted to ride along the substantially horizontal portion of the sandal welt 3 in the region of sole trimming and as the cap 57 rises and falls, against the resistance of spring 64 (exerted through plunger 59 and lever 63) the cutter assembly 39 is maintained in contact with the rising and falling cap 57 by means of a compression spring 65 interposed between adaptor flange 46 and collar 55 and encircling skirt 51.

The trimming operation may comprise more than one trimming cut according to the nature and thimss of the material being trimmed. After correct initial set-up of the machine, so that the last assembly 12 will rock at the proper time, it is not essential to commence trimming at any particular place on a shoe sole, although experience will soon establish the most desirable first point at which to commence a trimming operation.

I claim:

1. A shoe supporting device for use in trimming the sole edge of a shoe having an upwardly inclined toe end portion which device comprises a shoe last support member mounted for rotation about a first axis, a last rockably mounted on the support member, and means coupled to said last for rocking the last about a second axis which extends at right angles to the lengthwise dimension of the shoe and to the first axis into a first position in which the general plane of the bottom of the shoe is normal to said first axis and into a second position in which the plane of the toe end portion of the sole is normal to said first axis.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rocking means rocks the last progressively between the first and second positions as the last rotates about the first axis.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the rocking means includes cam and follower means for bringing the last into said first and second positions once in each revolution of the last about the first axis.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1 further comprising an arm carrying the device and itself carried for swivelling movement about an axis parallel to the first axis.

5. A device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a platform disposed for engagement with the underside of the sole of a shoe on the last, and wherein the support member is constituted by a support table and a pivot thereon defining the rocking axis and on which pivot the platform is mounted.

6. A device as claimed in claim 5, comprising a rocking bar extending generally parallel to the lengthwise dimension of the last on the side of the last remote from the sole, and serving to hold the sole of a shoe carried by the last against the platform, said rocking bar being coupled to the last in the ankle region of the last and carrying a pad for resting on the toe portion of such shoe.

7. A device as claimed in claim 6 wherein the platform and platform support can be raised and lowered relative to the rocking bar for enabling a shoe to be placed on and removed from the last.

8. A device as claimed in claim 6 wherein the rocking means includes cam and follower means adapted to bring the last into said first and second positions once in each revolution of the last about the first axis and further comprising a driving shaft rotating about said first axis and carrying a member which affords a slideway extending diametrically of the first axis, -a slider mounted for sliding movement along the slideway, and a rotary drive connection between the slider and the rocking 'bar, and wherein the cam means extends about the first axis and the cam means and follower means are fixed one to a fixed part of the device and the other to the slider, the slider being connected to the rocking bar such that when a shoe is mounted on the last and the sole of the shoe engages said platform, the cam-controlled diametrical movement of the slider actuates a rocking movement of the bar about the rocking axis.

9. A device as claimed in claim 8, wherein a transverse notch is formed in the surface of the rocking bar nearer the slider and an element which engages in the notch is fast with the slider.

10. A device as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a trimming device for trimming the sole edge.

11. The combination claimed in claim 10, wherein the trimming device comprises a trimming tool and a \guide element adapted to engage the side of the shoe above the welt for controlling the amount trimmed off the sole.

12. The combination claimed in claim 11 further comprising means resiliently biasing the guide element and trimming tool axially in a direction such as to urge the guide element into engagement with the top of the welt.

13. The combination claimed in claim 11, wherein the guide element comprises a disc mounted for rotation about an axis parallel to the first axis.

14. The combination claimed in claim 13, wherein the trimming tool comprises a motor-driven rotary cylinder having cutting edges extending generally lengthwise of the cylinder, the rotatable disc being disposed coaxially with the cylinder and being freely rotatable independently of the cylinder.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,311,197 7/1919 Webb 1286.7 2,003,015 5/1935 Simmons 12-127 X 3,235,893 2/1966 Alderman et a1 12-87 PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 12-127 

